"Monsters of the Sea" is for those with a great curiosity about the mysterious creatures that lurk beneath the surface of the sea that humans have sometimes been granted glimpses of.

For as long as we've been curious, our access to the oceans' mysteries have and still remain so limited that sea monster legends have endured to this day.

Sea monsters are often considered some of the earliest cryptids to inspire countless popular myths and recent discoveries of giant squids, such as the massive 25 fo"Monsters of the Sea" is for those with a great curiosity about the mysterious creatures that lurk beneath the surface of the sea that humans have sometimes been granted glimpses of.

For as long as we've been curious, our access to the oceans' mysteries have and still remain so limited that sea monster legends have endured to this day.

Sea monsters are often considered some of the earliest cryptids to inspire countless popular myths and recent discoveries of giant squids, such as the massive 25 foot-long cephalopod photographed nearly 3,000 feet beneath the North Pacific Ocean off Japan's Ogasawara Islands in September 2004, have lent a basis of fact to some of those legends.

In a revealing, well-composed and enthralling assemblage, marine biologist Richard Ellis charts the origins of an assortment of legendary "sea monsters" including sea "serpents", giant squids (kraken), sharks and the "leviathan" or whale that frightened mariners of centuries past and brings the natural history and science of the real animals behind the myths.

All the Kraken stories and rumors about sea monsters going back centuries are outlined and then using scientific exploration and (sometimes speculative) scientific evidence, the world's deep sea monsters are explained leading the reader into the vast world of marine biology.

I particularly enjoyed the alternating between the mythological accounts about sea monsters and the reviewing of the ocean animals for what they actually are based on available facts, including 150 fascinating illustrations showing how a certain known marine animal was reasonably mistaken for a "monstrous" sea creature.

Another favourite I had was the chapter about globsters (organic masses that wash up on the shoreline distinguished from normal beached carcasses by being hard to identify) and how he theorises that Octopus giganteus could account for some of these phenomena.

If you don't want to have your sense of wonder debunked, you may want to stay away from having the sea monster myths and realities separated by Ellis, since that is the primary structure of this book, however he does leave some room for speculation and because he is also a Great white shark expert, it is mind-boggling that he has concluded that the monster shark Megalodon has only become extinct as close as 10,000 years ago in another of his books, Great White Shark.

This is a great voyage of discovery for those interested in fantastic accounts of myths, legends, and unexplained sea monster sightings and learning more of the story behind them.

Monsters of the Sea provides a comprehensive overview of sea monsters, so there is a lot to cover and can be a little heavy at times, but well worth the read.

If you're interested in obscure accounts of historical legends, early naturalists, cryptozoology or marine biology you will probably have a lot of fun with this very well researched resource.

One thing is for certain, if one of America's leading marine biologists thinks that the St. Augustine monster that washed ashore a century ago was actually a 200 foot octopus, then we still have much to learn about the legendary and mysterious Monsters of the Sea!...more

The research that goes into this book is incredible. Myths and rumors about sea monsters that go back centuries are explored in great detail and shown how over time, they were debunked. The author even includes drawings showing very believable reasoning for why a certain known animal was mistaken for some kind of sea monster. Up until the chapter on sharks, the book is a great resource on aquatic legend.

It's during the shark chapter, though, that it goes downhill. For one, there are no great myThe research that goes into this book is incredible. Myths and rumors about sea monsters that go back centuries are explored in great detail and shown how over time, they were debunked. The author even includes drawings showing very believable reasoning for why a certain known animal was mistaken for some kind of sea monster. Up until the chapter on sharks, the book is a great resource on aquatic legend.

It's during the shark chapter, though, that it goes downhill. For one, there are no great myths about sharks except that they are man-eaters. Nobody ever thought they were a serpent or weird creature at the time uncatalogued in the annals of science. It's the one myth about their human dietary leanings that the author focuses on, and spends far too much time discussing conservation efforts. The rest of the book is very objective when discussing even animals such as whales, but for some reason the shark section is a sore spot for the author and he goes to great pains to convince the reader of their majesty. Oh, and he throws in a little bit about Megalodon, the ancient shark behemoth of which we only have teeth to measure its possible size. The conclusion, as well, is too out of sync with the rest of the book, and so while I would say it's wonderful to read, just stop before the last two sections and you will have a better appreciation for it....more

Very informative. It was kind of dry in sections, and there wasn't much in the way of psychological exploration like I thought there would be.... But it was still enjoyable. It could stand an update, since it's almost twenty years old now. Nothing earth-shattering, but a good way to entertain yourself when you've nothing else to read.

Ellis is a master archivist and his knack for finding early and obscure sources shows brilliantly in this book, as he traces the origins of sea monster legends and brings them up to the present with the actually biology of the animals in the myths.

This book was much different from any book of this genre I have ever read before. I didn't know what I would find when I opened it, would it be just another boring book about uninteresting fish? I was very much wrong, this book contains some of the most interesting material that I have absorbed in years. It takes you deep into the waters of Iceland to find the Kraken in all its mystery, to the shallow waters of the Bahamas to find the horrific and obscure Bermuda Blob.

Richard Ellis has spent hi This book was much different from any book of this genre I have ever read before. I didn't know what I would find when I opened it, would it be just another boring book about uninteresting fish? I was very much wrong, this book contains some of the most interesting material that I have absorbed in years. It takes you deep into the waters of Iceland to find the Kraken in all its mystery, to the shallow waters of the Bahamas to find the horrific and obscure Bermuda Blob.

Richard Ellis has spent his life in search of the true monsters of myth, diving deep into the archives of the middle ages and beyond. He explores many monsters revealing them such as the sea serpent, now known to be a mistaken oafish, as well as discovering their reality like the Bermuda Blob. On this journey of his, Ellis also uncovers the true theme behind the legend exposing the people behind it for what they were. To describe this journey through history itself is hard to explain in one setting so I leave you with this.

His writing style makes this book very unique as well. Its not how he writes sentences but its how he sorts his information in it. At the bottom of every paragraph or thought he has a big bibliography with all sources sorted by name. This helps to make all the information easy to trace if you wanted to learn more which to me seems like a very convenient thing to have.

Over all, this book provides a look at the strange creatures of the ocean and how the monsters of myth were made through history....more

This was a super fun read! It covered everything from the mythology of the Loch Ness Monster, mermaids and sea serpents to the origins of giant squid, whales, sharks, etc.

The research that went into this book must have been exhausting. The author references countless books or articles on each subject, as well as including paintings, drawings and more showing these animals as they have been depicted through the years.

This was a slow read for me because each page was packed with so much informatioThis was a super fun read! It covered everything from the mythology of the Loch Ness Monster, mermaids and sea serpents to the origins of giant squid, whales, sharks, etc.

The research that went into this book must have been exhausting. The author references countless books or articles on each subject, as well as including paintings, drawings and more showing these animals as they have been depicted through the years.

This was a slow read for me because each page was packed with so much information that it was impossible to read too much in one sitting. I really enjoyed it, though!

A huge chunk of this book talks about the giant squid, which was considered a myth until dead ones started washing ashore. At the time this book was published (1994), no one had ever seen a live one. That has changed now, so I really wish this had been published later so I could read more about that! ...more

A thoroughly enjoyable book. An exhaustive guide on the subject, this book provides a comprehensive overview of sea monsters, myths, legends, and unexplained sightings. The author writes in an informative, yet entertaining style. While explaining many of the "monsters", he does leave room for some open minded speculation. If you like offbeat historical subjects, cryptozoology, or just a great read on the mysteries of the deep, this book will not disappoint.

This is dense but fabulous - Ellis tracks the origin stories of all the different sea monsters from the Kracken to sea serpents, and then goes into descriptions of crazy dudes like Vampyroteuthis (which David Attenborough calls THE VAMPIRE SQUID FROM HELL). I find details about light-up tentacles engrossing, so I love this biz.

Octopus seem to be everywhere these days as people are discovering how amazingly awesome they are. This is the first book I read about 15 years ago that showed me how amazing cephalopods are. The Soul of an Octopus was disappointing and sad and overwrought...this book includes many other creatures other than octopus, but worth reading for the fascinating look at cephalopods it provides.

I love nautical mysteries. This book has a varied, interesting selection of many different sea monsters. It detailed the legends and stories about them, as welll as historical facts and tidbits related to each monster.

I put it simply like this, you read the title and the inside flap of the cover slip, and just skim through some of the fascinating pictures and you'll be hooked! Oh and the writing is not too shabby either. :)

Ellis does a fantastic job of blending fact and folklore, bringing to life the monsters that have gripped the imaginations of men for centuries. Ellis' research is fairly exhaustive making this a dense read, but well worth it.

I had high hopes for this book but was sorely disappointed. It was all I could do to finish it. It was a lot of repetition. I am not sure how many times I was told sea serpents were basking shark remnants or basking sharks swimming at the surface (exposed dorsal and upper caudal fins). I thought this book would be more about the animals that inspired these tales and when the "monsters" meant to the people who saw them. I was hoping from a lot more from this book but didn't get it.

A very good book. I did find it a bit slow at times (admittedly in the sections dealing with monsters I cared less about), but overall the information included is highly informative and I found Ellis' sense of humor amusing.

I don't think I've ever seen a source on cryptozoology that does as good a job as this book at compiling the historical sources of evidence for a monster, assessing those sources, and comparing them to what is actually known about the likely creature in question. I thought ElA very good book. I did find it a bit slow at times (admittedly in the sections dealing with monsters I cared less about), but overall the information included is highly informative and I found Ellis' sense of humor amusing.

I don't think I've ever seen a source on cryptozoology that does as good a job as this book at compiling the historical sources of evidence for a monster, assessing those sources, and comparing them to what is actually known about the likely creature in question. I thought Ellis had just the right amount of skepticism, along with a willingness to be convinced if the evidence is good. I particularly admired his willingness to believe that people saw what they reported they saw, and his efforts to find the most likely interpretation for the sightings. Given the evidence provided, along with what I know from other sources, I found his conclusions compelling (and in at least one case, I changed my mind on the likely explanation for sightings based on his evidence and conclusions).

I'd love to see a revised edition updated with new evidence and scientific knowledge, although given how much of this book is based on historical accounts, I'm not sure how much would change....more

The science was a bit outdated in places (in the subsequent years since this book's publication, more advanced protein analyses and DNA tests have revealed that 'globsters' are just the carcasses of whales or large sharks, decayed beyond recognition), but it was still a fun, factual marriage of biology, mythology, and cryptozoology (which is pretty much a type of modern mythology). I even learned a thing or two! For example, I already knew that octopuses can open jars, but I had no idea that theThe science was a bit outdated in places (in the subsequent years since this book's publication, more advanced protein analyses and DNA tests have revealed that 'globsters' are just the carcasses of whales or large sharks, decayed beyond recognition), but it was still a fun, factual marriage of biology, mythology, and cryptozoology (which is pretty much a type of modern mythology). I even learned a thing or two! For example, I already knew that octopuses can open jars, but I had no idea that they are attracted to jars the same way cats are attracted to boxes! That's your cute trivia for the day....more

Richard Ellis is a celebrated authority on marine biology and America’s foremost marine life artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide. His nine books include The Search for the Giant Squid (a Publishers Weekly 1998 Best Book of the Year), Great White Shark, Encyclopedia of the Sea, Men and Whales, Monsters of the Sea, Deep Atlantic The Book of Whales, and Imagining Atlantis.